191Re: Hammock Camping reality seting in

I know this is a question that gets
asked again and again, but anyway...

do you put your windshield reflector
under your pad or between your pad and your bag (or something else)

I talked to Tom H. a while back and
he said the reflector pad should be as close to your body as possible if you are
wearing some kind of insulating clothing, like fleece. I haven't tried his
suggestion yet, but I respect the guy's knowledge, however, it seems like the
reflector should be between the pad and bag.

This
was a new venture for me. I do not have any problem getting in the
hammock. If the weather is mild then I use my sleeping bag as a quilt
with a foot pocket (do not use a mummy) and possibly my Mt. Washington
3/4 Pad, depending on the temperature. The sleeping bag is no problem to
throw over you as a quilt. I usually put it in first, push it up to the
head end.

The
Pad I put in and just fold a quarter of it up, then going backwards into
the opening, I sit on the pad, flip my legs up the and the hammock closes
and I also fold down the pad at this time. No problems
here.

Now
for colder weather, here is my set up: I take a Large Windshield
Reflector and my 3/4 Mt. Washington Pad and my WM Ultralight good to 25degrees
F. Again used as a quilt. I also wear two layers on my bottom half,
first Capline long underwear plus a pair of fleece Pants, On the top I wear
longsleeve Capiline Underwear, Patagonia Expedition top Underwear and my
GoLite "Coal Parka" and hat and gloves.I also wear heavy socks and my down
booties. I am very good to 25degrees in this set up in the mountains and in a
snowstorm. I have no problem putting the Windshield Reflector and the
Mt. Washington Pad in the Hammock first and go in as described in the first
para. Just fold up the bottom quarter of both and unfold as you swing
your knees up. Everything seems to stay in place as I move around. I
sleep diagonally in the Hennessy Hammock and sleep on my
side.

I
also have the hammock set up on my patio and have been trying to figure out
ways to sleep at colder temperatures around

12
degrees. We live in Idaho in the mountains. With all the clothing
I describe, in a tent on the ground, I would be very warm.

However, the problem here in the hammock is the cold coming up under
you. Even in your sleeping bag, you compress all the down and it is not
a good insulator under your body..I am still searching.

Thanks for the input
Reilly. How big is your Mt. Washington pad? Also, when you position the pad
and bag in the hammock, do you fold the whole system in half above the
bottom slit or something? I'm just trying to imagine standing up through the
bottom of the hammock and sitting down on the sleeping bag with the pad
under it. Do you have enough room to angle the bag and pad so it is not
covering the entry slit? Sorry for so many questions, I am now officially
obsessed with my hammock. thanks,Chet

Reilly wrote:

Chet,

I certainly may not be the most
experienced on this list to respond to your questions but I am willing to
share my limited experience.

First, the HH does take a bit
of practice getting into. I spend some time making sure the position
of the pad and sleeping bag in the HH are more or less where they will be
once I am in the sleeping bag. Then I crawl in the
HH, being careful not to disrupt the position of the pad and sleeping
bag as best I can. I go in butt first. This usually works with
only a minimal amount of scooting up toward the top of
the HH. Once in, when I turn or roll, I try to do
it with my body inside the sleeping bag and not turn or roll the
whole bag with me. If you turn the whole bag the pad tends to
get 'un-positioned' beneath you.

So far I have been warm enough
using a 20 degree REI subKilo with a Mt. Washington pad. But then
again, I am a wimp and do not camp in the winter--it's near zero outside
of Boston tonight!!!!

Good luck to you. The
comfort of the HH is certainly worth spending some time tweaking your
system.

Well, after about a week and half of sitting around
waiting for some warmer weather, I realized it is going to be a
couple more months before I can use my new HH expedition hammock
unless I get used to some serious cold. So I decided to brave the
cold for a little field test. My hammock is hanging in the back
yard, its pitch black outside, and a crisp 12 degrees F. So I take
my 20 degree mummy bag and a cheap foam exercise pad out to the HH
to get comfy. Reality sets in. I can see its going to take some
serious practice before I can jump in for a snooze. I got in the
hammock okay, and managed to wiggle into my mummy bag, but had
trouble keeping the pad underneath me. I also seemed to slide down
into the center of the hammock, and once that happened, the pad had
pretty much squirted out to the side and was useless as an
insulating layer. At that point it was impossible to re-position the
pad beneath me, since there is no way to really get much of my body
off of the floor of the hammock. I think my slippery sleeping bag
added to the problem. What I originally thought was a great
innovation, Hennessey's bottom entry, now seems like it will make it
very difficult to get into my bag and keep my pad in position. I
must admit I haven't had any practice with this gear, but I would
sure like to hear from anyone who has experience with the HH as to
the best way to get in and get situated with a pad under you.
Amazingly enough, even in 12 degrees, I was quite warm in the
hammock (granted, it was a short period of time, not an
overnighter), and I am convinced that if I can keep a pad under me I
will be able winter camp. Has anyone tried putting velcro strips or
patches in the bottom of the hammock, and on the bottom of a pad?
Maybe even more velcro between the pad and sleeping bag? Any advice
or experience you can share would be helpful.
Thanks.